“It’s a practical question.”
Kyle waved one hand. “We’d be maintaining the property. That has value.”
I took a sip of wine.
Then Jasmine brightened. “The office gets the best morning light, right?”
My hand stopped.
“Yes.”
“It would make a perfect room for Leo.”
Kyle nodded. “We’d remove those built-in shelves. They make it feel too much like a library.”
That was when something shifted.
Jasmine had been inside my condo twice. Short dinners. Brief visits. She should not have known how morning light moved through my office. She definitely should not have been discussing which built-ins to remove.
So I asked casually: “And where would my things go?”
Mom smiled. “We’ll figure that out.”
After dinner, she pulled me into the sunroom. Orchids lined the windows. She closed the French doors.
“You’re the stable one,” she said. “Your sister has a family.”
“So do I.”
“You know what I mean.”
“No. Explain it.”
Her mouth tightened. “You don’t have a husband or children. You don’t need five thousand square feet.”
“My needs aren’t decided by who lives with me.”
“You’re becoming defensive.”
“I’m listening.”
Then I asked: “Did you enter my condo while I was in London last week?”